Type-writing machine



(No Model.)

Patented Sept. 23, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.l

J OSIAH* B. GATHRIGHT, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming peut ef Lettere Patent No. 436,916, dated september 2e, 189e.

Application filed January 1 5, 1889. Serial No. 2961456. (No model.) A

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, JOsIAH B. GATHRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-W'ritin g Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertans to make and use the same. 1

This invention relates to that class of typewriting machines which are provided with feed-racks, or equivalent means for moving a carriage to space between the letters upon each line-such, for example, as the Remington type-writer, and the following description is made with reference to that machine.

Heretofore in producing writings in which some of the lines are not filled, or in which open spaces occur, in order to bring certain words or figures into accurate vertical columns-esuch writings, for example, as bills of goods, invoices, statements of accounts, 850.- it has been necessary for the operator to pass the carriage over blank spaces either by repeatedly striking a spacing-key which feeds the carriage the space of only one letter at a time,`or by unlatching the carriage and sliding it to the desired point by means of a handlever. Both of these methods are tedious, and they keep the mind of the operator under constant tension to remember the point Where the carriage is to be stopped to register with the column, as desired, and the practice is common among operators of striking 'the first iigure-lightly and then turning the carriage up to see whether that gure registers properly before printing it in full. This method evidently requires many experiments at the expense'of time and tends greatly to perplexthe operator.

The objectof my invention is to obviate these' objections by providing means for automatically locating with the type-writcrcne or more columns ot' words or figures and of mechanically skipping any intervening space dcsired to be left blank.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts formla connecting-rod 19.

ing a portion of a type-Writing machine, as hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,'in f which- Figure I is a perspective view of, a Remington type-writing machine, showing my in- The carriageA is constantly impelledjto `slide I in the direction of the arrow 7 by aweijght or spring, and its movement is governed by an escapement or detent 6, engaging a rack of teeth on the under side of the feed or' rack bar. The escapement is operated, as usual, by a spacing-key and by each key on the board, whereby the carriage is permitted to advance one notch 0r two at every stroke of a key.

8 represents a hand-lever by which the rack may be disengaged from the detent of the escapement and the carriage be moved either way along the machine. -l

10 represents the upper table of the fixed frame of the machine, and 11 a permanent vertical post thereof, to which I have pivoted an arm 12 by means of -a pivot-bolt 13.

1-1 is my lift-slide and stop-rod, adjustable l longitudinally of the machine through the upper portion of the arm 12, Vand 15 is a setscrew, whereby the rod may be firmly secured in the arm at any required point in the length of the rod. This rod is normally supported close beneath some cross portion-such as the arm 16 of bar 5-by means of the lever 17 and The lever 17 is pivoted to the frame ofthe machine at 20, and is provided with a supplemental spacing-key 1S, whereby its forward end may be pressed down to raise its rear end andthe rods 19 and 14, and with them to raise the rack-bar 5 out permit the carriage to slide or be fed freely in the direction of the arrow 7. 4

l of engagement with the detent 6. That would l IDO lIo

' 21 and 22 represent stop-lugs provided with set-screws, whereby they may be adjusted to any desired points upon the rod and there be fixed tirmly'to it,'so that when the rod 14 is in service the lugs 21 22 are in thepath of arm 16 to stop it. There may be any desired number of these lugs, each serving as a v against thearm 12.to insurethe return of the whole skipping device to its normal position more-quickly than it would do when actuated by` gravity alone.

By' the words supplemental spacingkey 'l V 1' mean a key like the key 1'8, which is exclusively devoted to the following duty, to wit:

First,- to disengage the carriagefra'ck from the detent and to hold it disengaged until the carriage, traveling its usual path, has passed over a space including a number of -letterspaces,'which it was desirable to skip, -to a stop whose location is adjustable, and was`predetermined tot'said skipped space; and, second, to remove the'said stop by the act of releasing the said spacing-key, thus permitting the carriage to4 resume service at the usual letter-spaces. keys which allow the carriage to advance but one letter-space at a time; also, with the common hand-lever, whereby the carriage may be raised? from its usual path and be carried over any number of letter-spaces. I also contrast it with an7 key adapted by light pressure to advance the carriage a single letter-space, and by a heavier pressure to entirely release thecarriage,` so that it may travel over a number of letterTspaces to a stop. This latter' key would be in constant danger of being overpressed, so that it would skip at the wrong. time, thus keeping the operators mind under constant tension to weigh the force of hisstroke, which would defeat a prominent object of my invention. My supplemental spacing-key has only one service to perform. When it is pressed down in operation, it releases the carriage-detent and places an adj usted stop in the path of the carriage to arrest it at the desired point. n permitting the supplemental spacing-key to rise it withdraws the stop from the path of the carriage, leaving it free to resume work, as usual.

The operation is described as follows: First decide where the columns of figures shall be l' located and iix the lugs 21 22 on the rod 14 accordingly-one lug for each column. The word column as here used does not mean a vertical line of single figures, but a vertical line of sums, each sum including a numberv of figures on one horizontal line, and the lugs should be set with reference to the position Such a key I-contrast with of the largest decimal to be placed on any line. Let us suppose that the' following entry is to be made:

yds. brown gros grain silk. $1.50 $7.50

10 doz. papers pins .25 2.50 1 doz. Johnsons I. O. U. iiax thread 1.20

The lug 21 shouldbe so fixed that the 1 in 1.50 will be located as desired, and the lug 22 should be set to locate the 7 in 7.50. Now,.when the word silk has been wri tten, the operator strikes key 18, which lifts rod 14 and disengages the rack-bar 5 from the escapement G and permits the carriage to ad' Vance until it is stopped by the arm ldmeet-v Vand t 7.50 is placed, as desired. In like manner the next line is written, only that the operator will readily understand that on passing the lug 2l the usual spacing-key of the ma chine must be struck once fory the absence of a unit before .25. In like manner, by striking the spacing-key once at the lug 21 and then again pressing down key 18, the space `will be continued until lug 22 isv reached. Then 1.20 may be written.

It would require only ordinary mechanical skill to adapt my stop rod and lugs to any kind of a self-feeding type-writing machine by following out the principle of construction herein described. Therefore I deem it ilunecessary to illustrate its application to the IOO great variety of type-writing machines which have been invented.

The great advantage of being able to skip a space of uncounted' letters and stop the carriage again at a single stroke ot'` a. key, so as to accurately align figures or words in column, is too obvious to require further demonstration.

Because of the necessary changes in dietails of construction that would naturally re.- sult from the adaptation of my invention to different styles of type-writing machines, I do not wish to confine my claims to the specitic device herein described..

What I believe to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a stop-rod located beneath a portion of the carriage in the direction of its feed? movement and freely hung to the machine,a stop-lug upon the said rod,and means for ad-A justing its location in the direction of the rod., a supplemental spacing-key hung in the machine, and connections between the said key and stop-rod and between the stop-rod and rack bar, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of a stop-rod 14, freely IIU hung to the machine beneath a portion of the carriage in direction of its feed-movement, one or more stop-lugs adjustably secured upon the said rod in the path of a cross portion of the carriage when in operation, a sup-- 3. The combination, in a type-writing machine, of the rack-bar 5, provided with a crossarm 16, the detent (5, adapted to engage the said rack, a frame 10, provided Witha post l1, an arm 12, pivotally hung to the said post 11 and provided with a perforation and a set-screw 15 at its upper end, a stop-rod 14, fitted to the said. perforation and extending beneath the cross-arm 16 and to be securely held by the said set-screw 15, one or more lugs 21 22, fitted upon the rod 14 and provided with set-screws, a lever 17, pivoted at 20 in the frame and provided with a key 18, the vertical rod 19, connecting the lever 17 with the rod 14, and a spring 23, secured at one end to the frame of the machine and adapted to bear with its free end against the arm 12, substantially as 'sh own and described.

4. The combination of a stop-rod freely hung to the machine, a stop-lug thereon, and a supplemental spacing-key hung in the machine and adapted to move the said stop-lug into the path of a portion of the feed-carriage, and connection between the stop-rod and rackbar, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a typewriter, the combination of the usual letter-keys and one or more spacingkeys having mechanism in common. for permitting the carriage to move a definite space at each stroke, and a supplemental spacing or skipping key fitted to permit the carriage to move any desired number of said spaces, according to adjustment, said key provided with independent mechanism for releasing the carriage from the detent, and mechanism for simultaneously 'interposing an adjustable stop, substantially as shown and described'.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J OSIAH B. GATHRIGHT. 

